Air ducts that radiate out from central plenums and the registers that cover them are well known to the heating and cooling industry. The air ducts are used to route the flow of heated and cooled air to and throughout rooms and areas of homes, apartments, and other types of living spaces.
The current registers include a grille that covers an exposed end of each air duct.
Registers are stationary and usually located on floor, ceiling and wall surfaces. Registers consist of a grille with multiple openings through which air flows. Registers generally includes a series of meagerly angled members that direct the air either right, left, down or up based on whether it is located on the floor, wall, or ceiling. The three sided floor register covers that must be mounted against a wall in order to create a plenum fail to create a tight seal where the unit touches the floor, thus allowing air to escape at the floor level and reducing the velocity of the airflow traveling up the channel. Room occupants located to the left or right of the three sided floor register do not experience the same benefits as do the occupants located in the direct path of the upper and lower vent openings provided. Flexible tubing register covers, consisting of a combination of junction boxes and flexible tubing that run along baseboards in a room, attempt to provide additional airflow outlets along the floor level.
Some registers have dampers which are louvers or a plate that can be moved back and forth to adjust the airflow into a room but cuts off or decreases airflow when moved too far in one direction.
While the above system of air ducts and registers is useful in conveying heated and cooled air into a room, its stationary nature or floor level placement does not take into account where occupants are located in the room and the effect furniture placement has on the flow of air reaching the occupants in the room.
For example, the placement of furniture creates two concerns. If the furniture a person is sitting on is not in the direct path of the airflow they will not experience the greatest benefit due to the limited directional options provided by the stationary system of air ducts and registers. The second concern is that the placement of couches, loveseats, chairs and other room furnishings in close proximity of a register can obstruct the airflow into a room.
There exists today a need for a free standing tower floor register with the means of aiming airflow in multiple directions for the purpose of overcoming the anomalies mentioned above.
Clearly, an apparatus that provides greater flexibility in directing the flow of air into a room regardless of its proximity to furniture and room occupants would enhance the comfort level of room.